The Travel Junkie : Mcleod Ganj

Winta, my volunteer partner and i had one week of school holidays so we decided to head up to McLeod Ganj, 10kms from Dharamshala (Hippie mecca of India) Now I've never been one to fear bus or car journeys on the basis that if I'm on the ground it's no where near as dangerous as being up in the air. Well that opinion went out the window quickly after coming to India. Now I'm not talking about the adrenalin rush type of fear one gets on an auto-rickshaw ride in Delhi, as that's generally a short and sweet journey with the occasional pot hole here or there. I'm talking about a 10 hour local bus ride where one actually has time to notice how fast the driver actually drives and how steep the cliffs actually are. The never-ending signs that state "deadliest road" and "slow down on corners" don't help the discomfort and my personal favourite "love thy neighbour but not whilst driving". Now I'm not sure why it is that the drivers speed up when going around sharp corners, they definitely haven't heard of 'slow and steady wins the race' or 'better safe than sorry' perhaps their strong Hindu beliefs make them almost immortal, however despite my atheist values i was praying for my life. We opted against the $20 dollar air-conditioned bus ticket and bought the $4 local ticket as our inner egos pride themselves on being true locals. Well we definitely got what we paid for. Leaking windows, three road side toilet stops and a whole lot of rain and pain later we finally arrived. You know it's cold when you can still see your own breath sitting inside a giant bus overflowing with people.

We arrived at Dharamshala at about 6pm and looked around for a taxi driver. The usual circles of seedy Indian men made their way towards us so it was difficult to single out a potential driver. I followed my dads notion of "if you think you could beat him in a fight then he's probably a safe bet" It must have been fate, the skinniest looking man about 5 foot 5 emerged from the masses and so we called shotgun almost instantly. Now if you've ever seen my brother Tim you will understand what lean is. This guy was even skinnier than him and was half my height so we felt safe driving off into the sunset. We paid him his 100 rupees ( 2 dollars) for our 20 minute drive and set out to look for some accommodation. A friend of a friend had organised a room for us at Kunga Guest house, however we arrived an hour later than we told them and they had already given our room away, standard. They showed us another room option at the same place for $4 dollars a night. Now i don't mind slumming it but dear god the room they showed us was like a prison cell, I'd rather not spend my only school holidays in a room without windows or any form of a squat toilet. Luckily an improvised plan B worked out very nicely, we found a lovely room at Greens hotel (would definitely recommend, lovely travellers and laid back staff), another five minutes up the hill with a bathroom and a view. Kunga where we were going to be originally however, has epic Italian food and joy desserts.

Our first night despite our tired eyes we decided to toughen up and suss out the local pub, 'Mcllo's'. Living on a farm in a small town and being the only white girl for miles, made it bizarre seeing westerners for the first time in a month. However funnily enough the first people we became friends with were a sophisticated bunch of guys from Delhi ("oh yeh, i can hear my dad saying") Sahil, Abhoy, Abhishek and Nirvan. A very hip and well educated bunch they were, studying and working in various creative fields. We also included our new German friend from Berlin, Julianna who was twice my age but she was good fun nonetheless. We bonded over the dismal bus experience and she soon became our new neighbour at the hotel. Now about the place, McLeod Ganj the hippiest place on earth. If you dislike the the bohemian vibe on offer in Fremantle, than McLeod is the last place you could ever want find yourself. I have honestly never seen so many dread bearing, poncho wearing, crystal sharing hippies in my entire life. The extent to which they express their unconventional nature is rather hyperbolic. Walking bare foot, wearing massive blankets and ponchos its almost amusing. Yet is is hard to escape such a non-conformist way of living thus i gave in to a blanket (kumbal) and a nose ring, however i instantly refused the dreads and socks and sandals look sported by about 90% of the travellers here. Yet one should not complain, as without the hippies McLeod would not be McLeod. They bring the Shanti (peace) and the relaxed vibe that is McLeod. They bring the music, the smiles and of course the copious amounts of Charis.

We were very lucky to already have contacts before our arrival. Thanks to my lovely second mother Kandi, who paid for our weeks accommodation as an early 18th present and introduced us to her old friend Lobsang. Now for a girl who doesn't like pink and can't dance well spending time with Lobsang was a bit of a challenge. We arrived at his studio, greeted by him dancing to Shakira, wearing gloriously flamboyant shades of pink which made him blend into the walls. He was very hospitable, i mean who else can say that they've danced the whole Shakira album before even exchanging names. We then received the best chai in the world as promised and were fortunate enough to be let in on the secrets behind its making. Lobsang was great fun, he runs the Miss Tibet pageants in McLeod and was more than happy to share his experiences in the industry. They are however lacking contestants so anyone reading this that looks remotely Tibetan and doesn't mind wearing a swimsuit in front of conservative Buddhists should get on board. A few more dances, cups of chai and a couple of monks later we were back on the main road. Rows and rows of stalls, selling beautiful trinkets, jewellery, knitted scarfs, yak wool blankets for $5, socks and beanies for a dollar. Hand-crafted heaven.

That night in my hippiest attire to date we set off to Carpe Diem, a restaurant recommended by one of our new friends. Now if the name isn't already a dead give away let me just say this was like entering that 70's show! Groups of young European travellers smoking, drinking and sharing their stories. The top level is where its at a must go if in McLeod! Sitting on colourful cushions around small tables overlooking the night lights that shine through the town, it's so surreal. The best thing about Carpe Diem is the music and friendships it offers. The first night we spent there we were instantly welcomed into groups of travellers, meeting people from Sweden, Denmark, France, America, England, Italy, Nepal and a few fellow Aussies. There is always someone with a guitar and a bongo drum there, so its renowned for it's relaxing night-time jams. My favourite sing a long was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. Hard to explain but basically it was a mash-up like no other. In my place by Coldplay meets Get Up Stand Up by Bob Marley meets Hit the Road Jack with a French guy beat boxing, an Italian chick using salt and pepper shakers as the percussion, a guy using a spoon and bottle as a bell and my Nepalese friend Shambhu on guitar. The epitome of cool. The funny thing was Shambhu on guitar was the only remotely talented musician and everyone else just let the alcohol guide their movements, and in my opinion it actually sounded quite epic (no bias of course).